Microsoft heads to bargaining table with DOJ

Representatives from Microsoft Corporation will meet with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) next Tuesday and attempt to come to a settlement in the company's historic antitrust case. On Thursday, lawyers for the DOJ and the states suing Microsoft met to analyze Microsoft's first offer, which was roundly criticized for not going far enough. Whether a settlement can be hammered out is anyone's guess: The two sides are in complete disagreement over the solution, with the DOJ supposedly favoring a breakup of Microsoft or the public release of the Windows source code so that other companies can create their own versions of the OS. Microsoft, meanwhile, has reportedly offered to let PC makers alter the first boot appearance and remove the IE icon from the Windows desktop. It sounds like they have a lot to talk about